I Won't Leave Until You Do
by Bruised Kitten
Summary: Marinette is becoming more and more worried about Chat Noir since he admited that his unrequited love for Ladybug is the only thing keeping him going. When a growing disregard for his own life is combined with a dangerous akuma, can Ladybug save him from himself? Reveal fic, mostly Marichat and LadyNoir.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Well I was all super proud of this until I accidentally deleted the whole thing so now I had to rewrite it... On my tiny cellphone... yay. Please curse my phone and not me for any spelling errors! Anyway, I know I've been out for awhile but I'm planning on making a comeback now that I've gotten into miraculous. I've got lots more ideas up my sleeve for it, but I dreamed up this one last night and just had to write it as soon as I could! Mostly Marichat with LadyNoir and Adrinette. Rated M for self harm and death (Spoiler Alert: nobody actually dies cause I hate killing characters. Except Cloe. I don't care if Cloe dies. And random citizens because, you known who cares about them?). ANYWAY, onto the story!**

 **PS: bla bla bla I don't own any of this bla bla bla or else it would not be a kids show bla bla bla.**

 **Also, takes place after Troublemaker since that's the newest one I've watched.**

Chapter 1: Not Okay

Marinette sighed again as she gazed out at the city lights from her balcony. Tikki hovered nearby, just as unsettled - if not more so - than her charge. After all, the ancient kwami had seen this before. The discovery they made that morning was one that happened with almost every cat miraculous holder.

*** That Morning ***

 _Marinette was sprinting to school as fast as she could at her usual late time. She burst into the classroom with her usual belabored breaths. The teacher have her the usual speech. She sat down in her usual seat. And, like usual, stared dreamily at the back of Adrien Agreste's perfectly styled blonde hair. She leaned down to get her tablet out of her backpack when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Sure enough, Adrien was unknowingly trying to kill her. He slowly arched his back, stretching his arms up with a small grunt. The silky fabric of his short sleeves fell to show off his lightly muscled biceps. As well as a patch of shoulder riddled with angry red scratches. Marinette couldn't stop the small gasp from coming out. As soon as she made it, the boy before her froze. He quickly jerked his arms down and pulled at the sleeve to cover it._ It couldn't be... _she thought. However the pure panic in his eyes as he glanced back at her only solidified her suspicions. She knew his home life was less than ideal and loving, but he was always so cheerful and laidback... Why would he do something like that? The more Marinette watched him, the more she could tell that he was nearly shaking in his seat. Her heart felt as though those deep cuts were on it instead of him, a horrible burning in her chest. It was all she could think about as the class dragged on. It seemed like both an eternity and a second had passed when the bell rang. She watched Adrien sluggishly packing and made a point to gather her things just as slowly until everyone except for them had left._

 _"Marinette, listen, I... I..." This was definitely not how she had pictured the first time he would ever stutter around her. "Uh... You... Saw, didn't you?" She just nodded, not knowing the first thing to say even if she did trust her voice. He raked his fingers through his hair, "Well... I know... I know it's useless to make up an excuse so... Please, just, promise me you won't tell anybody?" Her voice came out without a second thought,_

 _"I promise." His whole body seemed to relax at that. "But..." He stiffened. "Please tell me if there's anything I can do to help, ok? I-I don't... I mean... I..." She barely suppressed an audible groan at the return of her stuttering. "Doyouwantmyphonenumber... In case, like, you... Need... Thing any, I mean, anything! Not that you don't already have everything, I mean not everything everything, but... You know?" At least she got the point across. She hoped. A soft smile spread across his face,_

 _"That would actually be pretty awesome." The stuttering was worth it a hundred times over if it meant she could see that smile directed at her again._

 _"Courseof! I mean, of course! Just let me, uh, get a paper piece... Piece of paper!" she scrambled through her backpack to find something to write on, but the only thing with paper in it was her sketch journal. She whipped it out and flipped to the back, tearing out the last page a little faster than she meant to. "I just, oh! A pencil! Yeah! For writing! Kinda need a pencil to write, haha..." She leaned back down to get into her backpack again, hoping to hide her cringing expression from her own words. Oh wait, didn't she always keep a pencil in her journal's binding? She popped back up, "Oh! Silly me, forgot there was one right here ahahaha..." She nearly dropped it as soon as she picked it up, and hurriedly scribbled down her number and name before she could embarrass herself further. As she handed it to him she realised how messy the edges were._ Oh nononononono. He's gonna think I'm some kind of slob that can't even tear out a piece of paper to look nice! He's gonna-

 _"Thank you Marinette... This... really means a lot to me," he murmured before enveloping her in a hug. She only stiffened for a moment before wrapping her arms around him and trying not to completely melt._

 _"A-a-a-anytime," she smiled brightly up at him and he smiled back._

 _"See you tomorrow!"_

*** Present ***

"Marinette..." Tikki started, "Sitting here staring at your phone isn't going to make Adrien text you any faster.

"But..." the French-Asian girl whined, "Just in case he does I need to be awake so I can be there for him."

"You can't be anywhere for anyone if you don't get some rest, which is probably what he's doing right now," the kwami argued, raising her teeny tiny eyebrows and putting her hands on her hips in an attempt to look intimidating. Marinette sighed,

"Yeah, I guess you're right... Still though..." No response. "Tikki?" The little red bug had vanished, leaving her girl her own to turn around and nearly scream in surprise.

"Good evening, purr-incess. Did I su-purr-ise you?"

"Chat!" she yelled, having just held back from flipping him over and pinning him down, "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Awww, but why not? It's paw-ful fun," he grinned, sauntering towards her.

"Because one of these days you'll give me a heart attack or something and you'll be accused of murder and then you'll have to flee the country," she retorted. He clutched a hand to his chest in mock horror,

"Flea the country?! I wouldn't even wish fleas upon Hawkmoth let alone all of Paris! What kind of villain do you take me for?!"

"Maybe if you got akumatized," she laughed, trying to picture it. He chuckled dryly and she stopped. "Something bothering you?" He bit down on his lips, but spoke,

"... Yeah... Just home stuff, really. I got someone mixed up in something that I shouldn't have."

"What do you mean?" she asked before quickly correcting herself, "I mean, if it's ok that I ask with... identities and all. You don't have to say anything you're not comfortable with." A small smile tugged at the corners of Chat Noir's lips,

"Thanks Mari. I just... Did something stupid. Thought maybe it would, I dunno, make a difference? Maybe my fa... family would notice in actions what I can't say in words. But instead somebody saw that wasn't meant to and I feel awful about it now. I mean, I trust her and all, she's a great person, she's actually a lot like you, but... I never wanted my friends to find out and worry about me. I don't know what to do. Part of me is glad someone knows but I'm scared too, scared she'll treat me differently... At least than she used to, or something, ya know?" Chat looked over at Marinette, hoping what he said didn't give too much away. At this point he didn't even care if it did. He would've talked to his lady, but he couldn't get a hold of her without both of their masks on and - trust me - he had tried. Marinette was the next best and technically only other person he could run to as Chat considering their occasional hangouts on the balcony. That made them friends, right?

"Oh, Chat... What did you do?" she asked, putting a hand on his bad shoulder. He flinched back and her eyes widened. "You didn't... Did you?" His ears laid back against his golden hair. "Did you cut?" He looked away, hoping that was enough of an answer. It was, as he was quickly pulled into a near-bone-crushing hug. It stung for him at first, the pressure of her arms on his shoulders, but she felt him wince and loosened her grip on that shoulder. "Chat, you silly kitty..." she muttered in his ear, "Why would you do something like that to yourself?" He relaxed in her embrace and let himself drink in her sweet chocolate cookie scent. Everything about her let him calm down, let his guard down.

"I'm never good enough. Not for my father, not for Ladybug, not for my friends, not even for myself. No matter how hard I try, nothing ever works out. I know it's selfish, but I thought, just for a minute, if how much it all hurts could be seen on my body... Maybe I would... Wow, this sounds pathetic now that I say it out loud, but maybe I would get attention, not just for my face or my costume, but for who I am underneath that. But all this proves is that I'm still just a failure..." He buried his face deeper in the crook of her neck, slowly letting the tears come out. There was only silence from her. _Just like a I thought... Even the kindest girl in the world can't argue with how pitiful I am._

"There aren't the enough words in the whole world to tell you how wrong you are, kitty..." she whispered. He could've sworn he heard a crack in her voice as she lowered them both to the ground without breaking the hug. "I'm so sorry, I should have caught it sooner. I'm so sorry..."

"Mari, you have nothing to apologize for, I should be the one apologising for making you worry. I shouldn't have put this on your shoulders. I'll head home now, ok?" Chat said, willing his eyes to dry and forcing his arms to untangle from his princess

"No!" she nearly shouted before regaining some composure, "You're staying right here. I might not be able to obsessively make sure both of my boys are ok, but I'm not letting one of them just walk away." Chat blinked,

"Both... Of your... Boys?" Marinette's face immediately turned crimson,

"W-well, uh... One of my boy friends at school - I mean, not my boyfriend! But a-a male friend, uh, you know? Um, he's... Having... Problems." Chat immediately took the chance to dig and have and excuse to stay longer.

"Oh? Who is this boy my princess is cheating on me with?" He snickered a little when her face turned to something between indignation and utter embarrassment.

"I-I... I'm not...! How can I cheat on someone I'm not with?!" she squealed, "And it's a secret."

"Awww, princess, you can trust me though, right?" Chat batted his eyes on a ploy to look as trustworthy and innocent as possible. She just snorted,

"Nice try kitty, but it was a promise." He grinned, heart warmed that she wasn't going to give in without a fight.

"Fine, fine..." He blew her a raspberry, "And here I thought you trusted me."

"I do kitty, but I can't break a promise." she tapped the top of his nose to punctuate every word, "Now come inside." She slid down into her house from the balcony door.

"Wait, what?"

"Exactly what I said, get in here," Marinette looked at him expectantly, holding the door open. Chat certainly wasn't going to argue with going into his pretty friend's bedroom, even if it did make him a little nervous, and slid in behind her. Last time he was in here was... With Ladybug. And troublemaker. And the posters. Lots of posters. Which were still there, of course. That was a little different from being in here as Chat Noir, with the owner of the room, in the middle of the night. He suddenly felt Marinette push him back into sitting on the bed.

"Sit. Stay," she commanded before walking away. He blinked. Was she aware that...? What was she going to get? He doubted it was any of the first few things that came to his mind - or caused a blush to rise on his face. If it was though... Who was he to deny his princess? He quickly wiped the smirk off his face as he saw her coming back with a box in hand. She set it, a first aid kit, down next to him and flicked his bell.

"This is a zipper, right?" She asked. She barely waited for him to answer befpre pulling it down to the top of his stomach. If he thought his face felt hot before, this time his entire body must have been blushing.

"Umm... P-princess?" Chat stuttered questioningly. Marinette's changed from one of innocent bliss to embarrassment at realizing how bold she had just been,

"S-shut up! It's not like your suit leaves anything to the imagination anyway." She carefully went for his bad shoulder and he suddenly realized what she was about to do... His eyes widened. If she saw that both his and Adrien's cuts were the same... He grabbed her hand, trying not to squeeze it too hard in his mild panic,

"Mari, really, it's fine. Don't worry about it."

"But-"

"Seriously, it happened awhile ago so it's already plenty closed up on it's own now. Don't waste your things on me." She seemed about ready to give in until that last sentence.

"I'll waste as much as I want to on you," she grumbled defiantly, breaking out of his grip and tugging his one sleeve down. Chat had to bite his lips together to stop from shouting not to, but he knew that could give away his identity even faster than her seeing the cuts. So he waited for the bomb to drop. And waited. And waited. And...

"Yeowch!" he yelped and looked down at her.

"Probably should be warned you that would sting," she mumbled as after thought.

"Gee, thanks," Chat grunted. She continued to clean his cuts without a word. He let himself relax at her gentle hands, each touch near the sensitive area feeling safe and careful. She finished too soon.

"There we go," she sounded rather pleased with herself, "Now you are free to leave- oh wait! One more thing." Chat looked over curiously and watched her ever so gently press her lips to the skin just above the highest cut, nearly his collar bone, for just a brief second. His whole body shivered with heat, his heart feeling so much like it could burst that it almost hurt. "Now you can go," Marinette smiled up at him shyly and he just gaped. He had to snap out his reverie to answer,

"T-though I'd love to stay longer, I, uh, should really be getting home to sleep." He stood up, taking her hand in his and leaving a soft kiss on the it, "Thank you though, for everything. You have... No idea how much this means to me Marinette." She smiled,

"You're free to pop in any time Chat... But please, just, promise me one thing, ok?"

"Anything," he said with eyes so honest and open that Marinette was sincerely taken aback. She gulped and forced that words out,

"Promise you'll never... Go too far... And... And..." Her voice was getting weaker by the second, as if her very existence didn't want it to even be any fathomable possibility. She didn't even realize there were tears falling from her eyes until Chat wiped them away with his gloves thumb.

"Princess, I won't lie... wherever Ladybug goes, I follow. In life or death. I'm a very loyal kitty. But I do purr-omise to try to stay out of trouble otherwise, ok?" it was obvious he was trying to make his smile playful but Marinette could see the raw honesty in it. All she could do was nod as he leaped back up to the balcony.

Chat Noir could've sworn he heard Marinette's voice right as he vaulted away whisper, "I'm so sorry, Chat... This is all my fault..."

 **AN: Well, I just wrote that in one day so let's hope it's decent. I tried to slip some fluff in between the angst - kinda worked? Maybe? Kinda? Sorta? Ah, oh well. Anyways, next chapter should be up fairly soon. Next Monday at latest. Hope you guys liked this one!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, Chapter 2! I feel like this should be longer than I originally planned because... I felt like it? Like at first I only really had an idea long enough for two chapters but now I realized that would make it feel a little too fast so I'm gonna spread the action out a bit and make it... Dun dun dun... 4 chapters. Might also come out with a few other stories or oneshots soon so if you liked this, keep an eye out on my profile for more! Also thank you so much Anna for the review, I've been looking at it every time I get discouraged ^-^. And all the followers! 23! Thats more than any of my other stories combined! Which sounds kinda lame, I know. Anyway, you guys came for the story, not my rambling so here we go!**

Chapter 2: Guess who

The next morning, Marinette woke with a scream.

"Marinette! Marinette, what's wrong?" Tikki whizzed over, realizing a little too late that the answer was fairly obvious. Still, it never stopped the flush of panic every time one of her charges screamed.

"Chat was... I... Tikki..." The girl looked up at her small friend as tears poured from her eyes.

"Oh Marinette, it's ok, it was just a nightmare. Everyone is safe," her kwami cooed, patting her on the cheek in hopes of comfort. It worked a little bit.

"B-but what if he's actually..." the sentence was stopped by a sob.

"Look at me," Tikki said firmly. The teen did as she was told. "I can sense when the cat miraculous is active and it is. Which means he's still alive and wearing it. And before you argue with me, I would notice if it was off even for a second. So try not to worry about him too much, okay? You still have school to go to." Marinette worried her bottom lip with her teeth, but nodded. "That's my girl," the kwami chirped, "Now we've got school to be getting ready for!" The teen tried for a smile that was obviously strained, but better than nothing. She got ready with her usual outfit, and some extra makeup to cover the bags under her eyes.

Unfortunately for her, that wasn't enough to fool Alya. Nor was it enough to keep the future reporter from screaming to the whole schoolyard, "OH MY GOSH GIRL, WHO DO I NEED TO KILL?!"

"What?!" Marinette squeaked, "No no no! Nobody did anything! I just had a bad dream!" Alya fixed her with a suspicious glare. She sighed, "Alya... I don't really feel like talking about it... It was... Really bad." The brunette's gaze immediately softened,

"Aw, it's ok. Just tell me if there's anything I can do, alright?" Marinette nodded and gladly accepted a warm hug. _Even if she doesn't know what's going on, it's kinda comforting to get support from someone I don't have to hide in my purse._ She giggled a little inside at the thought, how many other people could find themselves thinking something like that? _Probably just Chat Noir..._ Her mood immediately dampened once more. Where was he? What was he doing? Was he safe? At home? At school? Had his family found out about the cuts yet? She had a million and one questions with absolutely no way of answering them. She sighed and looked up from her feet, hoping to see something that would distract her from agonizing over the condition of her precious partner. Unfortunately, the first thing she laid eyes on did just that. For multiple reasons.

One: Adrien Agreste was standing only a few feet away in all of his glorious hotness, and Marinette had totally completely NOT emotionally prepared herself to deal with that kind of perfection.

Two: Adrien also happened to be wearing a (very good looking) long sleeved shirt. On a rather warm day. No matter how well the soft material hung on his athletic frame, she dreaded to think what could be hidden underneath. After yesterday... Could he be making extra sure no one else saw anything? Had he cut more? Either option made Marinette want to start crying all over again.

Three: Standing right next to the object of Marinette's undying affection was a girl that she had hoped never to lay eyes on again. Especially not while she was giving him a much-more-exaggerated-than-necessary French greeting.

Needless to say, our poor heroine's day was only getting worse by the minute. Alya quickly caught on and sent a stinging glare over to the Italian girl before donning a small smirk, "Marinette...you don't suppose a little chat with Adrien would make you feel better, would it?" She could barely even stutter out a no before Alya was dragging them both over there. "Adrien! What's up?" Alya announced loudly enough to make Lila look over at them. An ugly scowl flashed on her face before she slapped a fake smile over it. To Marinette's relief - and slight surprise - Adrien practically ran over to the two girls,

"Marinette! Alya! How are you two doing?" The words "Oh thank god" might as well have been written on his forehead.

"I'm ok, but Marinette here..." Alya prompted a little bit. She already had a very good feeling that a display of genuine concern from a certain blonde was exactly the kind of pick-me-up Marinette needed. Marinette herself had other thoughts. Mostly ones that involved internally screaming at and strangling her best friend.

"Is something wrong?" Adrien asked, eyebrows dipping in worry and his mouth forming the smallest frown. That expression alone was enough to make any teenage girl, and probably a few boys, melt on the spot.

"Y-ye-no! Mean I on. Mean no!" she swiftly buried her face in her hands. He raised an eyebrow and looked rather less than convinced.

"Are you sure? You know you can always talk to me if ever need someone..." He quickly straightened up, remembering that Alya was there, "Not that you don't already have other better friends to talk to! That you can talk to, that is. Just...Yeah. I should, um... Be going." He groaned inwardly as he walked away and towards the classroom, hoping his pace was fast enough to discourage Lila from following. He had been glad for the escape route Alya and Marinette had given him, but he already knew he had probably overstayed his welcome. Alya seemed to like him well enough, but her dark haired best friend was as uncomfortable with him as ever. He found himself to be the first one in the room and took to opportunity to give his head a hard thwack against the desk. _Stupid, stupid, stupid..._ he sighed and rubbed his face. His father had always drilled into him the importance of first impressions, something he had screwed up from the very beginning with Marinette, and now that she was just getting more comfortable with him he had gone and accidentally revealed one of his worst secrets to her. And then she had a nightmare, which was probably his fault as Chat. That is, if she didn't already know he and Chat were one and the same. He groaned out loud this time. This was a nightmare, a total nightmare.

"Why do you care so much about what pigtails thinks of you anyway?" Plagg's voice nearly made Adrien jump right out of his chair.

"Plagg! Geez, you surprised me," he grumbled. The kwami grinned,

"Oh~? Too distracted by thinking about your crush~?"

"What?! I- no! You know I only have eyes for Ladybug!" Adrien spluttered, trying to remember to keep his voice down.

"Oh I know," The cat snickered before falling into a dramatic swoon, "Oh, Ladybug, you're the only one for me-" Adrien heard voices getting closer to the door and snatched Plagg out of the air. He was still standing, tiny magical cat hidden in his cupped hands, when Rose and Juleka came in through the door. The boy could barely move a muscle before a blur of pink nearly crashed into him,

"Ooooooo! What's that in your hands?! Did you find something?!" He gulped, fighting the urge to just say no and shove his conniving little kwami back in his bag. But with how Rose was nearly ready to tear off his fingers to see what he had, there was no way he was going to get away with that. He had to think of something she wouldn't want to see...

"Uhhh... It's a, uh," he blurted the first thing that popped into his head, "A toad! Yeah I just found this toad in here, so weird, right?" Rose gasped and squealed,

"Awwww! I LOVE toads!" All Adrien could do was stand there, deadpanned.

"Uhh..." He saw Mylene come into the room and had an idea, "Not this one! No, this toad is... Really scary looking, real ugly. And, and gross. It... Smells like rotten cheese. Trust me, you don't want to see it." He felt four sharp little incizors clamp down on his palm. "OWCH!" He got a few odd looks from his slowly filtering in classmates but just forced a grin, "I guess it bites too! I should... Really go... Put it back outside now!" Adrien nearly ran over to the nearest window, thanking any higher power that it was already open.

"WAIT!" Rose screamed, making him freeze in panic, "You can't just throw it out a second story window!"

"Oh! Silly me!" he inwardly cursed at himself for not choosing some creature that could fly, and headed towards the door. Right as the teacher walked in.

"What is all of the commotion going on inside here?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"Adrien found a really disgusting toad that bites!" Rose announced. Great, that didn't sound unusual at all.

"Uh-huh..." the teacher raised an eyebrow, "Well, you can take it outside and release it, just be quick."

"Thank you Ma'am," the boy nearly squeaked, speed walking out of the classroom and through any lingering crowds of students to the front door. Fortunately, there weren't too many students still out and about so he was able to crouch down, body facing away from everyone, and unfold his hands. Plagg floated up in front of the boy's face,

"Jerk."

"You're one to talk," Adrien snarked back, "The whole school could've found out I'm Chat Noir!"

"If you don't keep your voice down they're going to anyway," the kwami grumbled before flying into his shirt pocket. Adrien groaned and shook his head. Little did he know a certain pair of eyes were wide in shock as they disappeared around a nearby corner.

 **Okay, this chapter ended a little faster than I planned but cmon... I couldn't pass up such a perfect cliffhanger opportunity! I hate reading cliffhangers but I love writing them - I feel like that's a little awful of me but whatever lol I'm not the one who suffers in the end mwahahaha. Anyway, school sports are picking up and tax free weekend has got my mom running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to prepare everything for school. Whoop-dee-do. I'll try to update pretty often for the next two chapters though! Kitten, out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everybody! At it again with another chapter, basically winging it at this point. I just came up with a new one shot idea too and it's gonna be fluffier than a Pomeranian puppy! I'll try to write it soon so keep an eye out. I went back and edited some of the earlier chapters too, some of those errors were making me cringe real bad. Anyway, a one-sided reveal is on today's menu, so onto the main dish!**

Chapter 3: It's You!

After seeing Adrien walk in late - even later than her - Marinette immediately started scribbling on a piece of paper. 'Hi' Too awkward. She erased it. 'How are you doing?' Too vague. 'Why were you late?' Too rude. 'What's wrong?' Too forward. 'I'm worried about you' Too romantic. 'Are you ok?' Too... Well, it wasn't the best but she couldn't think of anything else do it would have to do. Now, one question mark or two? Maybe three? No, she didn't want to come off too strong. What if he was able to guess that she had a crush on him?! But she didn't want him to think she wasn't sincere. Middle ground, two question marks. She took a deep breath, wished her Ladybug luck into it, and threw.

Adrien felt something light bounce off his shoulder and onto his desk. A paper ball. From behind. Did Marinette drop it on accident? He turned around to hand it back with a questioning tilt of his head. She just nodded. Oh. Oh! He could have squealed in excitement. Passing notes in class! He had always dreamed of a moment like this, secretly passing notes in class with a friend. He eagerly uncrumpled the paper. 'Are you ok?' The blonde could feel his heart both warm with affection and sink with guilt. He didn't deserve her worry. Not with how he was lying to her, as both Chat and Adrien. And he knew as he touched the lead of his pencil to the paper that he was about to lie to her again. His grip tightened on the writing utensil. She didn't deserve to be lied to. Slowly, he scratched out the words, 'Yes. I'm sorry.' He crumpled it again and threw it back. He was just about to go back to his note taking when, to his surprise, the same paper ball rolled onto his desk. He opened it.

'Sorry? For what?' He threw it back.

'Worrying you.' Pause. Another throw.

'Don't apologize for that. I'd be more worried if I didn't know what was going on'. He fought back a self-depreciating reply. That would only make him look more pathetic.

'Thanks, but you don't need to worry about me.' Marinette pursed her lips, surprising herself by almost feeling annoyed at him for thinking that way. It banished her stuttering nerves and she threw the ball at him a little harder.

'I'll worry about whoever I want to. You came into class even later than I usually do.' Adrien smiled a little at the sassiness that he usually only saw from her as Chat. Could... Could his sorry mistake actually be the catalyst to getting to know the cute girl behind him? Not that he was doing it because he though she was cute, of course, he told himself.

'I found a toad and had to take it outside lol' She smiled. This was turning into an actual conversation! She could've squealed in excitement. But she knew she had started this for a reason.

'Oh lol. Seriously though, how are you feeling?' The smile that had grown on his face faltered. He steeled himself. Marinette had mentioned before that she hated liars and he knew that he would never earn her friendship without honesty. Besides, he could trust her. He had proven that as Chat.

'I'm actually feeling ok. Mostly. I just feel kinda stupid for doing what I did.' Marinette had to remind herself that the middle of class was not a good time to launch over your desk and hug someone.

'Don't feel stupid. It's not your fault that you were upset. Can I ask why you did it though? You don't have to answer.' Adrien couldn't help but soften when he read the last part.

'Combination of father issues, missing my mom, and... There's a girl I like. A lot. But she doesn't like me back.' Marinette almost didn't notice his nervous glance back at her through the throbbing in her head. And her heart. And everywhere and no no no, he liked someone. Someone that was clearly not her. Tears burned and threatened the corners of her eyes. She forced them not to fall. She needed to be strong right now. For him. She forced herself to breathe even though her lungs ached to sob.

'I'm sorry.'

'There's nothing for you to be sorry about. I'll talk to you later if that's okay.' She had barely finished reading when she heard the bell ring. He immediately stood up and looked back at her for an answer. She closed her eyes, afraid that he would see the excruciating pain in them, and nodded with a sorry attempt at a smile. By the time she opened her eyes back up, the whole room was empty.

* * *

Tears had long soaked the stuffed cat on Marinette's bed, it's ever smiling face looking away to give her some privacy. Tikki was letting her charge cry it out for awhile. She knew from millenias of working with mostly teenage girls that there was no helping until the initial meltdown was over. Especially with Marinette. The poor girl was one of the sweetest holders Tikki had ever met, but boy was she also one of the most emotional ones. The two always seemed to to go hand in hand, Tikki mused, floating up to pat Marinette's cheek now that her wailing had subsided a bit. She spoke for the first time since this whole ordeal had started, voice hoarse,

"Tikki... I just... I don't..." A fresh wave of tears waterfalled down.

"Shhh, Marinette, it's ok. This doesn't mean you can't still win his heart." The girl hiccuped,

"I-it does-sn't?"

"If course not," Tikki waved her paws around for emphasis, "Think about it! Alya thought of Nino as a brother before you locked them in a cage together. And Nino liked someone else entirely! And now they're dating! Just because Adrien likes someone right now doesn't mean he'll never like you." Marinette sniffled, rubbing her sore face with one hand,

"Yeah... Yeah. Y-you're right T-Tikki."

"Of course I am," Tikki giggled, nuzzling the bluenette's cheek. Marinette smiled for the first time since that afternoon,

"Hey... Do you think... A visit from a certain superhero might make Adrien happy?"

"Spots on!" the kwami squealed, twirling around like she was in a transformation sequence herself. They both laughed.

"Thats right, Tikki, Spots on!"

Ladybug hadn't realized how long she had been crying until she noticed disk falling around her on her way to Agreste manor. Thankfully she remembered where his room was and didnt need too much sight to find it. She was about to swing up to knock on one of the windows when she heard her crush's voice talking to someone. Fear immediately clenched around her heart. Maybe he was wrong and the girl did like him back and she came over to his house to talk and in his bedroom and...oh no... Ladybug or not, Marinette knew she would die inside if Adrien started doing things with another girl. Thankfully the cold claw of terror melted from her heart when she heard a second voice. A very oddly high pitched yet gravelly voice that definitely did not belong to a girl. Unless the girl he liked had a rare disease that made her voice sound like that! The fear rerurned, and Ladybug dared to peek in the window. Adrien was laying sprawled on his bed - Oh boy was that not a good sight for her heart - talking to... Thin air? She could have sworn there was another voice in there, was he on the phone? He suddenly jerked up, nearly shouting,

"I told her I would talk to her later... Never specified as who." There was the low thrum of another voice but she couldn't make out what it said. "Just eat your camembert, we're going on a visit." Suddenly Adrien turned towards the window and Ladybug jolted back so he couldn't see her. "Plagg, claws out!" Her breath hitched in her throat. That sounded like... No, it couldn't be... The bright flash of green light said otherwise. No... No. Nononononono. The one and only Chat Noir bounded out of the bedroom windows, right past her, and across the rooftops. Ladybug could only hang there by the thread of her yoyo, which was about as thick as her last thread of sanity. It didn't make any sense. But it did. It made too much sense. Her heart dropped to the deepest pits of her stomach as she started to realize what he had said. Talk to her later. He told Marinette he would talk to her later. Visits from Chat weren't exactly unheard of. The direction he- oh crap. Ladybug yoyoed faster than she ever had before, taking every known shortcut and nearly diving through the trapdoor to her bedroom. Her feet had barely hit the ground before she released her tranformation. Tikki's little head was spinning,

"Well that was definitely not how I expected that trip to go."

"Imagine how I feel!" Marinette screeched, hands immediately pulling at her pigtails. She barely had time to process the information any more before there was a thump from her ceiling. And a knock on the trapdoor. And what was she going to say?! No. She took in a deep breath. Its just Chat Noir. Just Chat. She'd have plenty of time to agonize over the fact that the definition of human perfection was standing on her balcony at night out of every single other person in Paris after he left. Right now she had to completely forget that he was Adrien and-

"Princess? Are you okay?" Chat's worried voice came from above.

"Y-y-yeah!" Marinette choked out, cursing her stuttering. Was she going to do this around Chat too now?! Tikki flew up into Marinette's face and quickly whispered,

"You've got this Marinette. Don't think of Chat as Adrien, think of Adrien as Chat with the horrible puns and overdramatic showing off and goofing around!" Marinette nodded right as the kwami scurried to hide again. She could do this. Steeling herself, she went over to the trap door and opened it.

"You sure you're alright?" Chat looked down at her with worried emerald eyes and a soft frown. Marinette's heart was doing backflips on her tongue,

"Just caught, yeah, bad time at me." He stared for a second before chuckling,

"I must have _cat_ you at a really bad _meow_ ment to warrant that _meow_ ch stuttering." Ok, maybe she really could do this after all.

"Chaaatttt," she groaned, "You're as terrible as ever!"

"Only the finest puns _fur_ my _purr_ incess," he gave a bow and winked, inducing more than a slight blush on the teen girl's face. The act dropped in an instant, "But seriously, I didn't interrupt anything important, did I?" Of course, the ever polite Adrien showing through. She smiled and shook her head,

"Nothing's more important than you, kitty." She froze, realizing exactly what came out of her mouth. Before she could correct herself with stuttering, a high pitched noise came from her masked crush. He plucked her up from the hatch by her shoulders and pulled her into a fierce hug. "Chat? You... Ok?"

"That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me... Thank you Marinette. Really. That just made my entire day," he mumbled, not wanting to put her down. He knew just one glance at her face would most likely send him into tears, so he laughed instead, "You're the only thing in Paris that's sweeter than your family's pastries."

"I don't know about that, Chat," Marinette forced herself to say his hero name so she didn't melt at the concept of Adrien having just said that, "You're pretty dang sweet yourself." He just hugged her tighter.

"Can you guys just adopt me already? I'm housetrained, I promise I won't scratch up the furniture," he joked in a voice tight with sincerity.

"I dunno..." Marinette responded playfully, finally pulling away from the hug a bit. She was positive that if he held her any tighter she would spontaneously combust into rainbow fireworks. "My parents might need more convincing than that. We live above a bakery after all... We have very high standards." Chat held a hand to his chest in mock offense,

"Are you implying that I am not high class enough for you?!" Marinette couldn't help but giggle at the irony,

"I don't know, are you?" The leather-clad teen overexaggeratedly straightened his posture and tilted up his nose.

"Why, ma'am, I am absolutely appalled that you would not consider adopting this gorgeous purebred!" He was failing miserably at trying to keep the corners of his mouth from turning up in a goofy grin as he spoke, "This particular feline is our very finest. Allergen free, lusciously silky fur" - he dramatically flipped his hair- "Completely trained for every trick imaginable, and with the _purr_ fect temperment. You'd have to be mad as a March hairball to refuse!"

"Well..." she drawled, doing her best to look contemplative, "I don't know if we're really looking for a cat anyways, maybe a puppy would suit us better." He didn't miss her sly glance at him.

"Oh but you are sorely _hiss_ taken, princess!" He shot back, "Cats are far superior to dogs in every way! I don't require half as much time or attention while still being just as cuddly and affectionate! And can dogs purr? I think not! Purring has so many health benefits! It's soothing, it helps heal bones and tissue, it takes stress off of your heart-" Marinette couldn't help but snort at that one. She knew if this particular cat started getting all cuddly and purring, it would definitely put more stress on her heart than anything else. As if able to read her mind, Chat Noir threw himself onto her, gasping dramatically, "You don't believe me?!"

"Well, I- OOF!" Marinette started, but Chat lost his balance and the two fell in a heap on the ground. While the poor teen girl's face was burning, the cat themed hero just made himself comfortable. Well, as comfortable as one could get with their legs tangled up in someone else's. He grinned at her cheekily. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" she tried to glare.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didnt," he hummed a bit.

"I should kick you out for that," she grumbled.

"Meowch!" Chat chuckled, helping her up as he stood, "Though that won't be necessary." She tilted her head in confusion. "Don't worry princess," he smiled, "I just have something I have to do at a ridiculously ungodly hour of the morning and I Really must be getting back to my beauty sleep." She grinned, almost commenting that she doubted beauty sleep was necessary with a face like his, instead settling for,

"Who's the princess now, kitty?"

"Well, I'm sure you would make a very handsome knight in shining armor," Chat said with all the seriousness he could muster.

"Yeah, I'll come slay the dragon with my trusty sewing needle and scissors," Marinette rolled her eyes with a smile. The boy's smile softened and his eyes suddenly seemed to sparkle withat he light of every lamppost in Paris,

"Princess, you've slain so many of my dragons already with nothing more than words. If La-" He froze and his eyes widened at the words that had almost slipped out of his mouth.

"Chat? Are you ok?" Marinette asked at his uncharacteristic pause. He shook his head,

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I'll see you tomorrow Princess." With that, he leaped off of the balcony and back to his house. His throat was dry as his almost-sentence rang in his head.

 _If Ladybug wasn't around, I might want to be your prince._

 **FINALLY DONE. This chapter felt like it took forever, especially after this mess of a week. Accidentally confessed to my crush (who has a girlfriend), started a new medicine (which literally doesn't do crap), and applying for a job at the library. But it's done. And I feel pretty dang good about it too, I was worried about writing their banter but I don't think it turned out too bad. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately if you like longer stories, because of the banter I now have to add another chapter in. Next up: in which we find out the other person who knows Chat's identity. Dun dun dun.**

 **PS. Next chapter we get some texting via Marinette's cellphone. Anybody got some ideas of what Nino's nickname should be on there? Let me know in the reviews please! (seriously, please, I'm stumped)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys, I think the meds are finally kicking in! Writing this chapter has definitely been the most fun, first time ever writing text conversations. Marinette seems like the type of girl to give nicknames to everybody on her phone so that's been fun. And Alya strikes me as the type to nickname herself using Marinette's phone lol, hence the name. Anyways, onto the story!**

Chapter 4: She's Me

Neither Adrien nor Marinette got much sleep that night. Both of their minds were thoroughly occupied with thoughts of the other and all the emotions that came with it. Tikki did her best to calm Marinette between the teen's gushing over the possibility of her - Ladybug her at least - being Adrien's crush and lamenting that she's been rejecting him all this time. Not to mention her flipping out occasionally at memories of things Chat Noir has said and done. Frankly, Tikki sometimes wondered if her parents already knew everything given Marinette's rather... Easily projected voice. Meanwhile Plagg was comforting an extremely emotionally confused Adrien. And by comforting I mean laughing at the boy with a mouthful of cheese before going to sleep with a headache that he pointedly blamed Adrien for. Eventually the teen model texted Nino, the only friend he knew would give him unprejudiced advice, and fell asleep a notification reading:

 **Nino: dont worry bro i got a plan. Sent 1:23 am**

* * *

The next morning Marinette woke up with 15 new messages from her group chat with Nino, Adrien, and Alya. Of course, she reached for it so fast she nearly launched herself off her bed.

 **Nino: ay anyone awake Sent 1:31 am**

 **Nino: guess not lol Adrien got free time tomorrow so i thinkin we could all hang wat u guys thnk? Sent 1:35 am**

 **Ladybug4ever: go to bed. Sent 1:36 am**

 **Ladybug4ever: now that it's a DECENT hour... Yeah hanging out sounds fun. Marinette will come too. You guys have somewhere in mind? Sent 9:03 am**

 **Nino: is she with u? n we dunno yet Sent 9:04 am**

 **Ladybug4ever: No, but she'll say yes. How about the mall? Sent 9:05 am**

 **Nino: rlly? the mall? No offense babe but i dont think me or adriens idea of fun is shopping Sent 9:06 am**

 **Ladybug4ever: Not for shopping, for the arcade ya dingus. Sent 9:07 am**

 **Nino: oh lol ok, sounds good Sent 9:08 am**

 **Ladybug4ever: What time is Adrien free? Sent 9:09 am**

 **HotStuff: 11:30 to 2:00. Anything I should bring? Sent 9:10 am**

 **Ladybug4ever: Just your ridiculous amount of money lol. Sent 9:11 am**

 **HotStuff: Ok! Sent 9:12 am**

 **Nino: bro she was joking Sent 9:13 am**

 **Nino: bro? Sent 9:18 am**

Marinette pulled down her Adrien schedule and smiled before sending a message.

 **Mari: He's probably at a photo shoot. Sent 9:20 am**

Of course, she was right. He was a photo shoot in the park which would be done at precisely 11:25. Which was close enough to noon to... Idea!

 **Mari: Hey why don't I bring some lunch for us all? Sent 9:20**

 **Nino: nice thinking see u guys there Sent 9:21**

It wasn't even a minute later that Alya pm-ed Marinette

 **Ladybug4ever: OMG GURL SLICK THINKING! WE TOTES NEED TO FIND OUT WHAT ADRIEN'S FAVORITE PASTRY IS AND BRING IT. QUICK SEND IT ON THE GROUP CHAT HE MIGHT SEE IT BEFORE THE SHOOT IS OVER. Sent 9:21**

 **Mari: What?! But then it'll sound like I'm favoring him just asking what his favorite is! Sent 9:22**

As soon as the message said read and there wasn't a typing bubble on the screen, Marinette knew she was going to have a visitor in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...

"MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG WE ARE SENDING THAT MESSAGE!" the trapdoor flung open and a very heavily breathing Alya was bursting into the room.

"You really didn't have to run here..." Marinette sighed, still sitting on her bed in her pajamas.

"Oh yes I did!" her bff proclaimed, flopping down next to her and snatching her phone. She began typing furiously.

"Hey!" Marinette yelped, "Alya! Don't send anything!"

"Oops, too late!" she chimed, overdramatically pressing the send button. Marinette took the opportunity to steal back the device, but the damage was already done.

 **Mari: Adrien, I know everyone else's favorites to bring so what's yours? Sent 2:25**

 **HotStuff: Anything from your bakery is the best :) Sent 2:26**

Alya and Marinette both looked at each other, mouths gaping at first, and then began screaming.

"GIRL HE TOTALLY JUST FLIRTED WITH YOU!" Alya squealed. Marinette looked like she was about to faint. And then she did. Alya leaned over her for a second, but the bluenette just cracked open one eye with a grin,

"If I'm dreaming, don't you dare wake me up!" Eventually their screaming subsided and they hounded Nino to get Adrien's real favorite: chocolate croissants. Naturally, at that news, they stampeded into the bakery to get started. Her parents laughed good-naturedly when they insisted on doing everything themselves. And absolutely no one except Adrien was to eat Marinette's made-with-every-ounce-of-love-humanly-possible croissants. Except Alya for taste testing. Thank goodness they were done just in time for 11:30. Alya shot the group a quick text saying she was already at Marinette's and Adrien wouldn't take no for an answer after offering up his limo for the ride there. In the few minutes In between the croissants finishing and his arrival, Marinette was nearly ready to bounce off the walls. Her Adrien, her sweet adorable Adrien who also happened to be her hot flirty kitten, was about to be at her doorstep! And now that she knew his identity, she had more confidence than ever that she would be able to talk to him normally. If she could joke around with him wearing a skintight leather suit, she could speak like a normal human being around him in his everyday t-shirt and jeans. It didn't make him any less gorgeous when he opened the bakery door though.

"Adrien, Nino, hi!" Marinette chirped with, thank god, minimal trembling in her voice.

"Hi Marinette!" Adrien grinned back cheerfully, "You two ready to go?"

"You bet!" Alya stepped in, "We've got food for everyone and I'd like to get to the mall and find a seat before it gets cold." They all nodded in agreement, the bright ray of human sunshine especially. It felt like there were only seconds between them piling into the car and then piling back out (though Marinette was promptly wishing they had chosen a farther mall with how she had been pressed against Adrien's side). Then again, as she went to slide out of the car, Adrien turned around and offered her his hand. She could nearly see the black mask and ears in that one gesture. Marinette's head was in cloud nine as she took his hand to "help" her out of the car. His skin was softer than any fabric the young seamstress had ever handled, but wasn't too distracted by it to not notice Adrien's rather intense stare. _Was he able to tell how much she was enjoying holding his hand?_ she almost freaked out. Fortunately for her nerves, he just gave her a little smile and started walking towards the doors. Nino walked after his best friend with a not very well hidden smirk and Alya nearly pounced on Marinette.

"Girl, you are never gonna believe what Nino just told me!" the brunette whisper-screamed, at least having the sense to try and not let Adrien hear.

"What?" Marinette whispered back, nerves building back up. Instead of answering, Alya opted to grab her bff by the wrist charge ahead of the boys, not even stopping to throw back,

"We're heading to the bathroom, don't wait for us to start eating!" Alya's pace didn't slow down enough for either of them to see the boys exchange a mildly concerned look. In fact it didn't slow down at all until they were safely inside the entirely empty girl's bathroom. Marinette couldn't even ask before the other girl started,

"So, like, Nino said Adrien was texting him at like TWO am and talking about YOU!"

"W-what?! Me?!"

"Yes girl! You!"

"What did he say?!" Marinette's head was spinning. Alya did a little dance and bit her lip, which only made Marinette more anxious,

"Nino wouldn't tell me."

"Wouldn't tell you?! But it could be something horrible!"

"No way, I bet he's starting to like you!"

"You really think so...?"

"Girl, I'm so sure about this, I know so! Now c'mon, you're gonna charm him with your amazing personality!" Alya pushed Marinette out the doors and they walked back to the table. Where, of course, Alya took the chair next to Nino. Marinette smiled over awkwardly at Adrien, hoping she didn't bother him by sitting next to him. His return smile was around an entire croissant. The bluenette couldnt help but snort in laughter and his cheeks immediately reddened. He couldn't even chew with his mouth closed after home much he had stuffed in at once.

"Can I have one of those?" Marinette asked, mirth still in her voice. Adrien's eyes turned wide and his even ears looked like they were sunburnt.

"I, mmphh, umpph..." he mumbled shyly around the pastry.

"He already ate them all," Nino translated.

"Mmphpho!" the blonde objected before turning back to the blunette, "Mmph mphowwy..." Marinette could only giggle.

"It's ok Ki-" Marinette stopped midword before fixing her sentence, "The croissants were made for you after all. I'm... I'm just glad you like them so much." The blonde grinned with chocolate smeared teeth. Alya stood up and stretched, announcing as she did so,

"Ok you two lovebirds, time to go get our game on!"

"Alya!" Marinette yelped while Adrien choked on his mouthful of food.

"What? You two can flirt on the way to the arcade too," Alya drawled. Adrien's coughing fit had almost stopped until he heard that and started choking all over again.

"Dude, you're gonna kill him!" Nino tried to chide Alya but it just came out as laughing. Thankfully a few more hearty pats on the back opened the model's airways again. He recovered from the near deaths experience with a awkward smile and laugh. Marinette could only pray to God that her best friend's comments would soon be forgotten. They seemed to be as the group started their trek down the mall towards the arcade. Not that the bluenette would have known that Adrien's brain had burned those two teases into it. A few loud gasps came from the crowd. Marinette turned around to see what she could only describe as something very, extremely wrong. She saw Ladybug landing gracefully in front of her and her friends.

"Hey everyone!" Ladybug gave them all a warm smile. Then she laid eyes on Adrien and her face turned soft, "Hi Adrien."

 **DUN DUN DUN. BET YOU GUYS WERENT EXPECTING THAT. But seriously guys I'm sooooo sorry. I didn't update this in like... A third of forever. Don't worry, I swear on my crush's life that I'll get the chapter up sooner! Pre-nanowrimo season is taking it's toll and THE NEW EPISODES HOLY CAMEMBERT. I'm keeping the fanfic still like... just after what's aired on Netflix (up to captain Hardrock) cause I know some people aren't watching the YouTube episodes so yeah! Kitten out!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hiya guys, I'm back and crazier than ever so heck yeah this chapter is gonna be a doozy. Brave yourselves and buckle in, we're going for a ride. And thank you everybody so much for all your nice comments, they've made me so so happy to read! And yes, my crush is safe (at least from me, who knows who else that boy has irritated!) I hope you all like this chapter!**

 **Also, mild panic attack warning.**

Chapter 5: No promises

"H-hi Ladybug!" Adrien greeted back, "What... What are you doing here?"

"Just checking in on one of my favorite citizens and keeping a look out for trouble," she replied smoothly. Way more smoothly than Marinette ever would be able to manage. All the bluenette could do was stand there gaping.

"Oh my gosh Marinette, your face!" Alya laughed, turning her recording camera on her friend, "That's right, this is like... Your first time meeting Ladybug!" Marinette wanted to kick and yell that there was a reason for that! There had to be something seriously wrong. She looked around for any sign of something out of the usual, but everything was just... Normal. And, for an akumatized victim, this imposter was awfully calm and cheerful. It acted... Just like her almost. _Was this how Chat Noir felt with Copycat?_ Marinette wondered, a gross feeling of wrongness having settled in her veins. She was still just thinking about this when there was an explosion from the food court. _Another Akuma?!_ The fake Ladybug gasped and turned to her and her friends with a stern look,

"Get somewhere safe, quick! This one looks dangerous. I hope my handsome kitty gets here fast..." The imposter quickly yoyoed away, leaving Nino to drag Alya from the newfound action and Marinette and Adrien standing stunned. Without a single word, Adrien sprinted away, no doubt to transform. The bluenette's purse bumped her hip, squeaking loudly,

"Marinette! Snap out of it!"

"Sorry Tikki, I..." she trailed off and just shook her head. She and Chat would figure this craziness out. All of the shoppers had fled for cover by now so Marinette didnt even hide before shouting, "Tikki, spots on!" Right as her suit finished materializing, Chat Noir burst out from the direction of the boys bathroom. He didn't even glance in her direction before he rushed towards the direction of the earler explosion. She opened her mouth to yell for him, but the sound that came out of her mouth was deafened by another earsplitting blast. One second Cat was sprinting away and before she could scream or even blink he was swallowed by blinding white. _No._ A hot gust blew debris in her face and she reflexively shielded it with her arm, her eyes squeezing shut as tears formed. _No._ She forced her eyes open, struggling against her own rapid blinking. _No._ Her head whipped around, but the smoke and tears made it impossible to see. _No._ Nothing. She couldn't see him, couldn't see anything. _No no no._ She couldn't lose her Kitty. Couldn't lose Adrien. She sucked in a breath and forced it out, "Lucky charm." Heavy metal materialized in her hands. A crowbar. Her stomach twisted with the knowledge that it wasn't to defeat the Akuma. Able to look around now that the smoke had started to clear she could see the flaming debris littering the floor. Chunks of the ceiling, the walls, and everything that had been in the room were scattered in piles. Her throat clenched, one of those. _Beep beep._ If she could make it in time. Oh no what if she didnt make it in time? Images flew through her head, detransforming, helpless, Chat's body dragged out too late, all of Paris in flames. No! She couldn't freeze up, couldn't think too hard. She ran to the nearest pile of debris, ignoring the heat of the flames, and started digging as fast as she could. After throwing off a few considerable chucks of brick, she decided there was no way he could be buried under what was left. _Beep beep._ Unless... unless the blast had hit him and... and he wasn't in one piece any more. Maybe the crowbar wasn't to find her partner... maybe it was just to find his ring. Her eyes widened in horror and she wanted to vomit at just the thought. No no no. She couldn't do this now! One of her hands pressed against her sternum, she took a deep breath in deep breath out. She didn't have time for breathing exercises, Chat could be dying this moment! Her lungs heaved. No! She couldn't do anything if she wasn't calm! _Beep beep._ No. She couldn't do this now. She sucked in a breath and turned to the next pile, attacking it with adrenaline-fueled vigor. Nothing. Another pile. _Beep beep._ Faster faster faster. Nothing. Another pile. Tears were building in her eyes, the seconds ticking away with each crackling of the fires around her. Nothing. She was about to scream in frustration and desparation when she saw something dark move out of the corner of her eye. Her knees were nearly knocking together as she ran to it and pried a chuck of ceiling off. Another piece. The fizzling sound rang of detransforming rang in her ears and her whole body shook as the crowbar dissolved under her grip. She paused for only a split second before digging her hands into the heap and throwing anything she could lift out of her way. Something distinctly black, the shine of a superhero suit. She might have wanted to vomit before but now a mix of terror and relief was actually crawling like acid up her throat. She heaved off a particularly stuck piece of brick wall and an arm was in sight, twisted at a awkward angle. "Chat!" she cried out, immediately feeling ash and smoke scrape in her voice but not finding it in herself to care.

"M-Marinette...?" his voice cracked and some of the rubble moved as his body shifted underneath it. Pure relief shockwaved through her.

"Chat! Chat I'm here!" She dug faster around what had moved and soon his pale hair could be seen. He tried to lift himself up on his forearms but immediately yelped and fell back down to cradle his left. "Shh, shh, stay still I'm getting you out," Marinette mustered out.

"Mari... you shouldn't be here. You need to get to safety. I'll get myself out," he croaked back, wriggling his body to try to get his legs out.

"What?! No! You're hurt!" She objected before putting her body weight into a particularly large, deformed piece of... something that had been trapping his legs. As soon as they were freed he forced himself to stand. His body swayed and Marinette caught him by the shoulders. He put one gloved hand on hers, and looked up at her through his dusty blonde eyelashes with eyes of cold emerald steel. Hard, but brittle too. Her breath caught in her throat.

"Occupational hazard. I have a magical suit to protect me though, and you don't. Please. Get to safety." He straightened up and turned towards where the explosions had come from. Another one shook the building, farther away so they could only see the smoke and dust billowing from it. "Ladybug," he breathed, face contorted with emotion she had never seen before. And frankly, she never wanted to see it again. He reached for his baton, ready to vault away. But she saw the tears in his suit, the blistering burns in the exposed skin and gripped his wrist as tightly as she could. Memories flashed in her mind's eye? Angry red scratches and hot tears on her shoulder and his arms wrapped around her and soft silk around his unbreathing body and pale skin and limp face-no no nononono-

"Adrien, please, you're hurt!" Silence. For just a second, his eyes widened, softened. But he didnt look at her. "This-this akuma is serious... It's dangerous, you-you could get hurt or-or killed! I can't..." her throat closed up and all that came out after that was choked whimpering. She felt the hot tears slip through the grime on her face. His lips curled up, some distorted not-smile with only pain inside of it. He turned, and Marinette couldn't help the small sob that came out of her mouth when his warm fingers brushed feather light against the side of her face.

"Didn't I tell you? I'm a loyal kitty. I follow Ladybug. In life or death." She choked back a gasp. No no he thought she was caught in the explosion no he was going to- her head snapped up,

"Chat, Adrien, please, please-" He pressed his fingers to her lips.

"Tell Nino he was the brother I always wanted. And father and Natalie that I loved them. I couldn't have asked for a better friend than you, Marinette. There's no one I'd rather trust this to. Now go." Before she could say a word, make a noise, he had vaulted away towards the fight. She felt like falling to the ground, like her knees were bound to give out on her. But she forced her hand to move, to unlock her purse. Tikki flew out from her hiding spot to lock eyes with her holder.

"Spots on."

 **Really getting into the meat of it now! This time i really am going to update faster! I promise! Not that I expect anyone to believe me lol. But i am forcing myself to because I have being re-enamored with Megamind and I'm dying to write some stuff on that but i wont start anything new until I finsh this! Plus now I actually know whats going to happen in this lol. Kitten, out!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Gonna admit, I was not looking forward to this chapter. Action scenes are not my specialty, so... yeah... Hope you all like!**

Chapter 6: I'm Her

Marinette felt the fabric of her suit materialize over her skin and immediately bounded in the same direction as Chat. She had already lost him among the dust in the time it took her to transform, but she knew he was headed towards the explosions. Her heart pounded in her chest with every second that passed. Finally the dust seemed to be settling since the last explosion and she saw a dark figure kneeling on the ground. Her blood was instantly spiked with fear. She walked towards it, and then she saw that it wasn't Chat, but the figure was clad in orange, black, and white. One that was too focused on whatever was under her to notice Ladybug's approach. The blonde-haired body under her. The unmoving blonde-haired body underneath her. The heroine sprinted towards them, panic infused in the yoyo that she threw forward. Fortunately it hit the akumatized villian square in the skull and they recoiled in pain, briefly letting go of their victim on the ground. Ladybug took the chance to tackle them, knocking them off Chat and to the ground. It was just as she suspected as soon as she saw the costume. Vulpina. Her face was curled into an ugly sneer as she stared up at the furious heroine. Ladybug's knee was digging into the other girl's chest, pinning her to the ground. She could feel her chest heaving, pure rage shaking her body. The idea, the raw temptation to ground her heel into the villain's throat until her windpipe crushed under pressure suddenly seized her. For a second she shifted her weight to do just that.

"Bitch," Vulpina spat, snarling. Ladybug's temper flared, but she could feel Tikki still inside her, the tiny god trying to ease the anger away from murderous. Akuma. Item. She just needed to break the item. Just break the item and it will be over. Her eyes scanned down to the same necklace it was last time. This time it was the same deep purple that akumatized items usually are. Grasping the pendent in her hands, she ripped it harshly from the girl's neck and crushed it in her palm. A small butterfly fluttered out and without a word, she tossed her yoyo in the air and caught it. She barely even watched the purified one fly away. She just stared down at Lila, chest still heaving underneath her knee. She stared down at her for a few seconds and the purified "victim" stared back just at hatefully. Finally Ladybug stood,

"Leave." The girl curled her lip at her but she had already turned around to Chat, now detransformed. He was still laying on the ground, looking even more fragile without the suit and mask. He hadn't moved. Suddenly the panic in Marinette's veins returned. She rushed over to the limp boy, trying to shake him. No response. If he was breathing, it was too shallow for her to be able to see. The blurring tears in her eyes weren't helping any. She pressed her hand to his chest, and just barely, just barely there was a flutter. She was gulping down air and staring down at his unresponsive face. What could she do? What could she do? What do you do when someone isn't breathing? CPR. She took a few more deep breaths and thought back to those mandatory classes during health. She laid him down, hands shaking. Interlock her hands. Center of his chest. Breath in. Breath out. She gulped hard and felt hot wet tears gather in the corners of her mouth. With one last deep breath she leaned down and blew into his mouth as hard she could then broke away and started pushing. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. When was she supposed to give another breath? Was it better too early or too late? All the information she had so meticulously studied had drained with the blood in her pallid face. Screw it, she took another deep breath and tried to transfer it to him. Back to pumping. 1. 2. His chest rose against her hands and she heard the intake of breath. A little cry escaped her mouth and she lifted her hands. Another breath. She had to hold her hands against her mouth to stop the sob of relief from coming out. His eyelids fluttered and he groaned. She watched as he slowly blinked and looked up at her. His eyes shone like underwater emeralds,

"Ladybug?" his voice was hoarse. She nodded, waiting on his every word as tears rolled down her face uncontrollably. "We're... dead... aren't we?" he whispered. She shook her head. His head moved a bit, what she assumed might be him trying to tilt it, "But... you..." The wet coating on his eyes pooled into tears and slid down his cheeks.

"I'm okay. You're okay. Oh thank God," she breathed. She reached out with one hand to brush the tears from his cheeks.

"I wasn't... I didn't protect you though... You were..." A coarse little cry came from his throat and he struggled to his elbows, dragging himself towards her. His head laid on her lap and she cradled him close, too shaken to be worried or ashamed. She could feel his tears falling on her suit and held him as tightly as she dared.

"You both deserved to die," came a hiss from behind them. Lila was sitting on the ground still, fists clenched at her sides. Ladybug and Adrien both turned their heads and the former felt her anger immediately build back up.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Ladybug snapped back at her. Her patience was close to breaking. It was like the only difference between Lila and Vulpina was appearance.

"Wrong with me? Wrong with me?!" her voice rose, "You were the ones who ruined me! You embarrassed me in front of the only boy worthy of my attention, only for me to find out that he was one of the very ones that victimized me! Time and time again! I'm sick and tired of both of you getting in my way!" Ladybug just shook her head, lips curled in disgust.

"Go home, Lila. If you try something like this again, I will report you to the police." Lila huffed, but stood and walked away, apparently having no more to say. Marinette couldn't help but feel relief bubble up in her as she turned her focus back to Adrien. He was laying there, an unreadable expression on his face as he stared up at her. She gazed back down at him, heart swelling with all the emotion that had passed through her in the last few minutes. "Adrien... How are you feeling?" she murmured. He stared up at her for a second in confusion, then laboriously raised his hands. His breath caught in his throat. "...Chat?" she asked, wondering if he would respond better to his other name. Instead, tears welled in his eyes as he stared up at her, not speaking. Her heart jumped, "Are-are you ok? What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry..." he croaked, voice thick with damage and emotion.

"Oh kitty, sorry for what? You haven't done anything wrong," she stroked his hair, hoping that it would calm and comfort him.

"I... I didn't protect you. I failed you again..." There were track lines now through the dust and grime on his face.

"What do you mean? You didn't fail me at all."

"No... I, one of my friends, she found out who I am... And now you know too, I failed you," a little whimper came out of his mouth with the words.

"You didn't fail me, I promise you didn't. I'm just glad you're alive, ok?" she whispered. She took a deep breath and threw her yoyo up, calling upon miraculous ladybug. The insects swarmed with magic and buzzed around them repairing the damages. "There, now I'm the only person who knows." He looked up at her with pained confusion etched on his face. She glanced around first, then called down her transformation. "I told you I'm the only one who knows. Lila will forget since she found out when she was akumatized." He stared up at her, eyes impossibly wide in surprise. Suddenly embarrassment shot through her veins as she realized that she was holding his head. On her lap. Detransformed. And he knew who she was now. Ohgodohgod-

"Marinette!" came a scream from the distance. Both Adrien and Marinette jumped and turned their heads to see Alya clambering over the debris that had settled all around them. Adrien propped himself on his elbows with a small grimace and even with the filth covering his skin it was visibly red. "What are you two doing all the way over here?! You're hurt!" Alya came at them like a cheetah that smelled blood, only with opposite intents. Poor Nino was trying to keep up with his girlfriend and make sure she wasn't added to the list of injuries. Adrien managed a smile at his two friends and turned his eyes to Marinette, still half in shock. Marinette on the other hand could feel her eyes drifting closed, the post-adrenaline crash hitting her like a train. When Alya wrapped her arms around her best friend, she went limp in the safe embrace.

 **Woo! Not dead! Revived! And no this is not the end, there's gonna be a little after story. No the after story will have ~nothing~ to do with Lila because tbh... I don't know what else to do with her. Yeah, I'm being lazy, but let's just pretend she's scheming in the corner and licking her wounds while we focus on the lovebirds.**


End file.
